Starting device for electric motors.



No. 7l0,892;

Patented Oct. 7, I902. T. m. 'PUSEY. STARTING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

(Application filed-Tan. 8, 1902.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-8haet I.

\J7 if WITNESSES INVENTOR 9 flamasflpamey A TTORNE m: Rollin PCT!" 06.. FMTtS-LITHO" wuumumu. 5.1:.

Patented Oct. 7,' I902.

T. M. PUSEY.

STARTING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1902.;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WIT NE S SE S ATTORNE YHE rgoams Fmn: 50.. PNO'TO-LITHQ, wAsmNumN. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. PUSEY, OF KENNETT SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA.

STARTING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,892, dated October '7, 1902.

Application filed January 3. 1902. Serial No. 88,855. (No model.)

To all? whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. PUSEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kennett Square, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Starting Device for Electrio Motors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in devieesforstartingelectric motors, the object being to provide asimple automatic means for regulating the flow of current in starting the machine, and thus prevent burning out.

I will describe-a starting device for electric motors embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 shows in elevation a starting de vice embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 00 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a modified form of governor.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a rheostat, from the arm 2 of which a cord 3 extends to a connection with a drum 4:, loosely mounted on a shaft 5, mounted on a frame consisting, of side pieces 6 7. Also connected with the arm 2 to draw it downward is a counterforce-weight S. The arm is limited in its downward movement by a pin 9 and in its upward movement by a pin 10. It will be noted. that the cord 3 connects with a flange on the outer end of the drum 4, and when the drum is in normal position this connection will be at the lower side, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

On the inner end of the drum 4 is a friction-disk 11, designed to engage with a friction-ring 12, attached by means of bolts to a disk 13, rigidly attached to the shaft 5. The disk 11 is held yieldingly against the ring 12 by means of a spring 14, hearing at one end against the drum and at the other end against the disk 13. Onlthe shaft 5 is a gear-wheel 15, meshing with a pinion 16 on a shaft 17, and on'this shaft 17 is a gear-wheel 18, meshing with a pinion 19 on a shaft 20, on which is also mounted a gear-wheel 21, meshing with apinion 22, attached to the hub of a friction-disk 23,loosely mounted on a drivingshaft 21. Rigidly connected to the shaft 21 is a friction-disk 25, and on the outer end of said shaft is aband-wheel 26, from which a band 27 extends to a pulley 28 on the shaft of the motor 29. It will therefore be seen that the shaft 21 is kept at all times in motion with the motor and runs in the direction of the motor.

. Arranged to rock in the frame is a lever 30, and carried bythis lever is a friction-disk 31, designed to engage with the disks 23 and 25 to impart motion to the train of gearing.

It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the disk 31 is rearward of the fulcrum-point of the lever 30, and it is designed that this disk 31 shall be moved gradually into I onnection with the disk 23, so as not to too suddenly start the operation of the train of gearing. Therefore the said disk 31 is moun ed to move lengthwise of a log on the lever 30 and is held yieldingly toward the disk 25 by means of a spi ing 32, attached to the lever 30 and having its forked members engaging w th a hub 33 on said disk 31. It will be seen by this construction that when the disk 31 is moved doivn- 8o ward by the operation of a solenoid, to be hereinafter described, the said disk will first engage with the disk 25 and will be gradually moved over to engagement with the disk 23 and the pressure upon the disk 23 will be gradually increased. Upon an upward movement of the disk 31 the reverse operation will take place-that is, the disk 23 will be gradually released.

Suspended on the forward end of the lever 30 is the core 34 of a solenoid, consisting of the high-resistance winding 35 and the lowresistance winding 36. The core 3% may be balanced or regulated by means of a weight 37, adjustable on the lever30.' The currents o5 flowing through the two coils of the solenoid are in mechanical opposition to each other, and this tends to neutralize the effect of each on the core 34:. Itinay be here, stated that the high-resistance coil or helixo35 has a I00 greater strength or a greater effect on the core than the low-resistancehelix or winding. The effect of the low resistance is never sufficient to totally neutralize the effect of the high resistance. The strength of the highresistance winding is practically the same at all times, while the strength of the low-resistance winding varies somewhat, according to the speed of the motor.

The main wires of the circuit are indicated at 38 and S9, and connecting with these wires is the reversing-switch,consistingoftheblades *0 41, which are designed, respectively, to be placed in engagement with contact-points 42 4.3; but the blade 4:0 may be placed in engagement with a contact-point 4-1, while the blade i1 is in engagement with the contact t2, the said contact 44; being in electrical connection through the wire 45 with the contact &3. From the contact 43 a wire l6 leads to the high resistance winding 35, and from the other end of this high resistance a shunt t7 leads to the wire 18, which extends between the contact -12 and one brush of the motor 29. From the other brush of the motor 29 a wire 19 leads to one end of the low-resistance winding 36, and from the other end of this lowresistance winding a wire leads to the rheostat 1, and a shunt-Wire 51 leads from the rheostat to a connection with the wire it).

The operation of the device is as follows: \Vhen the reversing-switch closes the circuit in one direction, the current flows through the wire 51, the rheostat 1, the wire 50, the low resistance 30, the wire 49, the motor 29, and the wire i8 back to the switch. A current will also pass through the wire 16, the high resistance 35, and the wires 47 and 48 back to the switch. The motor 29 will now start to rotate and turn the shaft 2-1, and corn sequently rotate the friction-disk 25. \Vhen the motor begins to increase speed, there will be a decrease in the amount of current passing through the motor and the low-resistance winding. The low resistance will now lose some of its strength or eifect on the core 34 or its neutralizing elfect toward the coil This will enable the coil 35 to have a greater eileet on the core 3;, which will rise and cause the beam or lever 30 to rock, moving the friction-disk 31 to first engage the disk 25 and then the disk 23 in the manner before described. It is obvious that now the train of gearing will be set in motion and the drum 4: will wind the cord 3, causing the rheostatarm 2 to rise, cutting out the resistance in the rheostat, after which the train of wheels will still continue to run, and the drum 4, forming a part of the friction-clutch, will re main stationary when the arm 2 reaches its highest point-that is, engages with the pin 10. \Vhen the switch is moved to break the circuit through the motor 29 and through the other circuit described, the high-resistance winding will lose its energy and allow the core 3i to descend. This will cause the beam or lever 30 to rock and disengage the frictiondisk 31 from the disks 23 and 25. At this time the disk 23 will remain stationary while the shaft 24 is rotated The counter force or weight 8 will now carry the arm 2 of the rheostat downward, causing the train of wheels to rotate in an opposite direction and at the same time unwinding the cord 3 from the drum. As before stated, the arm 2 is limited in its downward movement by the pin 9. \Vhen the reversing-switch is turned in the opposite direction, the same operation as before described takes place, excepting that the train of wheels and the drum rotate in an opposite direction, thus winding the cord in an opposite direction on the drum, but raising the rheostat-arm and the weight in the manner first described.

Instead of the governor consisting of the solenoid I may employ the mechanical governor shown in Fig. a. This governor consists of the balls 52 53, mounted on anglearms 54 55, pivoted in arms 56 57, attached to the shaft 24, and from the inner ends of these arms 51 links 58 59 extend to connection with a sleeve 60, mounted to slide on the shaft 24. These balls 53 of course are moved outward by centrifugal action. They are held yieldingly together, however, or moved to normal position by means of springs 61, which are connected to the arms and to the sleeve 60. On the sleeve 60 is a frictiondisk 62, forming one member of a clutch, the other member consisting of a disk 63, loosely mounted on the shaft 2 2, and on the hub of this disk 63 is a pinion 6-1 for engaging with the gear-wheel 21. It will be seen that the disk 63 is mounted on a reduced portion of the shaft 2-:t, so that it is prevented from longitudinal movement thereon toward the disk 62 and is prevented from movement in the opposite direction by means of a collar 65, attached to the shaft. \Vhen this speed-governor is used, it is obvious that the solenoid, the beam 30, and the disks 31, 25, and 23 are not to be used, and of course the wires 46 and 47 are disconnected, and the wire l9 instead of leading to the solenoid will be practically an extension of the wire 50. In the operation of this device when the switch is closed the current passes through the wire 51, the rheostat 1, the wires 50 49, the motor 29, and back to the switch through the wire 4-8. The motor now beginning to rotate will operate the shaft 24, as before described. As the speed of the governor increases the balls 52 53 will move outward against the tension of the springs 61, and this will cause the frictiondisk 62 to engage with the friction-disk 63, upon which the train of gearing will be set in motion and the operation of the rheostat will take place in the manner first described. Of course when the current is broken by the switch the governor-balls will be moved toward each other or to normal position by means of the springs moving the disk 62 out of engagement with the disk 63, when the rheostat-arm will be moved to normal position by means of the weight.

It may be here stated that either one of the IIO coils 35 or 36 may be used alone or both may be used at the same time, depending on the nature of the regulation required, and it is to be understood that the invention is to be applied to induction or any other form of motor.

Having now described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1 1. In astarting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing, a driving device for the train of gearing, a governor for placing the gearing in operative connection with the driving device, a drum having clutch connection with a shaft of the gearing, a cord extended from said drum, to the rheostatarm, and means for moving said arm to normal position, substantially as specified.

2. In a starting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing, a driving device for the train of gearing, a driving connection between said device and the motor, an electrically-controlled governor for placing said devicein operative connection with the train of gearing, a drum having clutch connection with a shaft of the gearing, and a connection between said drum and the arm of the rheostat, substantially as specified.

3. In a starting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing for operating the rheostat, a driving connectionbetween said device and the motor, and a governor comprising a solenoid consisting of a high-resistance coil and a low-resistance coil, the low-resistance coil operating to partly neutralize the effect of the high-resistance coil, substantially as specified.

4. In a starting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing for operating the rheostat in one direction, a weight for operating the rheostat in the opposite direction, a friction-disk in connection with the train of gearing, a driving-shaft on which said friction-disk is loosely mounted, a driving con nection between said shaft and the motor, a friction-disk rigidly connected to the d rivingshaft, a rocking beam or lever, a friction-disk carried by said beam or lever and adapted for engagement with the firstnamed frictiondisks, a solenoid arranged in circuitwith the motor and with the rheostat, and a connection between the core of the solenoid and said beam or lever, substantially as specified.

5. In a starting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing for operating the rheostat in one direction, a friction-disk in gear with said train of gearing, a drivingshaft on which said disk is loosely mounted, a friction-disk rigidly mounted on said shaft, a rocking beam, a friction-disk carried by said beam, and adapted for engagement with the first-named friction-disks, said disk carried by the beam having ayielding movement toward and from the beam, a solenoid in connection with the motor and rheostat, and a connection between the core of the solenoid and said beam, substantially as specified.

6. In a starting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing, a governor for the train of gearing, a clutch member carried by a shaft of the gearing, a drum loosely mounted on said shaft, a clutch member carried by said drum for engaging with the firstnamed clutch member, a cord extended from said drum to the arm of the rheostat, and a weight connected to the said arm, substantially as specified.

7. In astarting device for an electric motor, a rheostat, a train of gearing, a drum mounted on a shaft of said train of gearing, a connection between said drum and the arm of the rheostat, a clutch member carried by said drum, a clutch member carried by the shaft, a driving-shaftkeptin rotation by the motor, a friction-disk connected to said shaft, a friction-disk loosely mounted on said shaft and in gear with the train of gearing, a beam mounted to rock, a friction-disk carried by said beam and adapted for engagement with the first-named friction disks, a spring attached vto said beam and holding the disk yieldingly toward the beam, and a solenoid for causing a movement of the beam, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS M. PUSEY.

Witnesses:

WM. II. MILES, CHAS. Gr. GUNTHER. 

